Tucson, Arizona: October 17, 2017 – Agrichemical corporation Monsanto hasn’t been in Tucson headlines much since it dropped its bid for a tax incentive with the Pima County Board of Supervisors in February. But the company and its flagship weed killer Roundup have been under fire both nationally and internationally this year and will be in the spotlight again at an educational summit at the Conference Center at the Tucson Osteopathic Medicine Foundation, 3182 North Swan Road, in Tucson from 9 am to 3:30 pm on Saturday, November 4.

Organized by a group of concerned citizens known as Toxin-Free Pima County, the Resist! & Revitalize Our Communities Summit will reveal uncovered secrets about Monsanto’s tactics that propelled Roundup weed killer to be so widely used, along with actions that citizens can take to protect themselves against pesticides and genetically modified foods that Monsanto and other biotech corporations produce.

The keynote speaker for the event is Carey Gillam, a veteran journalist whose recently published book Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science is a 20 year capstone in investigative reporting into details behind Monsanto’s Roundup rise to dominance. Gillam, the head researcher of US Right to Know, also spoke at the European Parliament in October at a hearing on Monsanto and glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. Local author of Going Against GMOs, Melissa Diane Smith, will introduce the summit and Gillam in the morning.

The afternoon session will feature Alexis Baden-Mayer, Political Director of the Organic Consumers Association, who will provide an overview on local actions taking place in communities across the country, followed by a forum with a panel of Tucsonans, including a pesticide-free landscaper, farmer, and organic agricultural products supplier.

“This is game-changing information people will definitely want to hear,” says Kelly Watters, co-organizer for the event. “Most consumers don’t realize how pesticides are ubiquitous in our food and environment – from agriculture and city parks to plant nurseries. At the same time, attendees will be surprised to learn about actions being taken on many levels across the country to protect people from those pesticides – actions that concerned citizens in Pima County can emulate.”

Non-genetically modified food will be available for purchase from Purple Tree Organic Acai Blends food truck in the morning and EnjoyaBowls during the lunch break, and copies of Whitewash and Going Against GMOs also will be available for sale. Sponsors for the event include Organic Consumers Association, GMO Free Arizona, Blue Oak Clinic, and Arbico Organics; grassroots supporters include Food Conspiracy Co-op, Natural Grocers, Come As You Are Fitness, and Revolutionary Grounds bookstore. Seating is limited, and the price of admission is $10.00. To see the complete summit schedule and where to buy tickets online, visit https://resist_revitalize_summit.eventbrite.com or www.facebook.com/ToxinFreePimaCounty, or email email hidden; JavaScript is required.

The summit takes place about a month after the European Union Parliament banned Monsanto lobbyists from attending any meetings there because the biotech giant did not show up for hearings into allegations that it had interfered with safety studies, Watters says. Also this year class action lawsuits were filed by farmers who claim their crops were damaged by Monsanto’s Dicamba herbicide, and by people who have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which they allege is from exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide.